Is Tatsumi Kimishima the Unexpected Hero of Nintendo?

One year ago, Nintendo flooded headlines everywhere. Unfortunately, it was for a terrible reason—former president Satoru Iwata had passed away.

It was news that nobody was expecting to hear. It was quite a public fact that Mr. Iwata was ill, but his condition had improved in the months prior to his death. Even so, life is filled with unforeseen occurrences, and Mr. Iwata unfortunately had to deal with the worst of the worst.

Due to his untimely death, Nintendo receded into a cocoon of near total silence for months. The company has always been known for its high level of secrecy, but this silence was even more profound. Towards the end of the year, things began to change. Out of seemingly nowhere, Nintendo suddenly emerged out of the shadows with news of a successor to Iwata—Tatsumi Kimishima. Since the very beginning, president Kimishima has been making big waves in the company. It’s been over half a year since his appointment, and the situation continues to look brighter. Is he the unexpected hero of the company?

Mr. Kimishima may be a new face to many fans, but he has actually been with the company for quite some time. Originally manning the position that Reggie Fils-Aime currently holds (president of Nintendo of America), Kimishima has been residing with Nintendo of Japan for the last few years. It was quite obvious that he knew his way around the company, seeing that he conducted a massive restructure of the whole entity within just a few days of taking the chair as CEO.

What makes Kimishima’s appointment, and his subsequent actions, so interesting is the time in which he was sworn in. Nintendo has been in a very tumultuous situation for quite a few years now, primarily since the beginning of the current generation. After the company came off the massive success of the DS and Wii, the industry hasn’t held back any punches when it comes to criticizing Nintendo for its failure to generate the same levels of momentum with the 3DS and Wii U. In particular, Nintendo’s performance at last year’s E3 was the butt of many jokes and target of massive amounts of negativity. Iwata had actually apologized due to all the harsh remarks, even though he was not present at the event. All of this happened just weeks before his death.

But even before the E3 fiasco, Nintendo was under the burner. Many gamers wanted to see Iwata gone, claiming that his direction is what had the company in such an “outdated” and “out-of-touch” state. Even though he had medical complications, if Iwata was aware of any of the negativity that was directed at him, this no doubt put an even greater strain on his health. With this in mind, it makes the fact that he died so soon after the E3 drama even more unsettling.

Having considered all of this, Kimishima no doubt came in at an incredibly chaotic period in the company’s history.

Seeing that Nintendo had been in a state of almost total silence, Kimishima’s speedy action after his appointment showed that the decision as to who would take the helm was given quite a lot of consideration. That should be obvious considering the fact that this is a multi-billion dollar international company , but it shows just how aware the Board of Directors were when it came to the company’s image.

Iwata’s quirky nature is what made him special, but it’s also why many people thought he was unfit to continue leading Nintendo.

Kimishima has not been as outgoing as Iwata was; for instance, he did not come to this year’s E3, nor has he appeared in any Nintendo Direct presentations—but even so, he’s been working hard. We’ve already discussed the massive restructure, but first let’s address the elephant in the room—the NX. It was Iwata who first made mention of the system at an investor’s briefing early last year, giving a pretty vague description as to what it is. While Kimishima hasn’t exactly elaborated further as to what it is, he has addressed it on several occasions. This is most likely where we will truly see the fruits of the his labor.

We still know next to nothing about the NX, but Kimishima has been doing a pretty good job at generating hype around the system. While he’s been very careful not to give any specific details surrounding it, his statements have proven to be vague but powerful. This, combined with the restructuring of the company, shows that Kimishima means business.

Mr. Iwata was a game developer before he became the president of the company. The way he led Nintendo reflected his mindset, which he formulated during his earlier career. Iwata thought creatively, so he led the company in a unique manner. That’s why he pushed for the Wii and DS, and subsequently the Wii U and 3DS, to be innovative and easy to use. He was a gamer, so he wanted to use his ability as the CEO of a massive game company to introduce gaming to any-and-everyone. Kimishima does not have the same background—he’s a businessman. He knows exactly how to handle a company from a corporate aspect, and he’s obviously shown that ability. Not to mention that he’s even older than Mr. Iwata.

While Iwata’s creativity is commendable, it is arguable that his outlook was leading Nintendo down a problematic path for the past few years. Even though many folks were calling for him to either resign or be fired, I’m sure no one who complained about him wanted death to be the reason why Nintendo would get a change in leadership. Even so, Kimishima came at what looks to be the best time. While we still haven’t seen much of what Nintendo has in store, the little details that’s been sprinkled here and there paint a very exciting picture.

Satoru Iwata is gone, but not forgotten. His (many) contributions to the video game industry will continue to be remembered for decades to come. While he had many opponents, it’s obvious that his employees and partners loved him very much, not to mention the millions of gamers, some not even Nintendo fans, who sent their hearts out to his family and friends after his untimely death. But sometimes, there really is light at the end of a dark tunnel; Kimishima hasn’t even been at the helm for a full year yet and good things are already happening. As we wait for Nintendo to finally show us a glimpse of its future, I think it’s safe to say that we can go in knowing that this outcome has a high chance of being very, very sweet.

It’s hard to tell exactly what Mr. Kimishima has in store, but the hints he has dropped paint a very exciting picture.

Is Tatsumi Kimishima the Unexpected Hero of Nintendo? was last modified: June 2nd, 2017 by A.K Rahming

Well nothing really. Most of his moves is just what Iwata wanted to do anyway.

Leonardo Colón

Not really. It’s just Iwata 2.0. The NX will really determine how closely he is following Iwata’s wishes.

Blake Wigert

His first great idea was to can any and all projects that weren’t already prepared for the WiiU and all this nearly a year before the NX is to launch. I don’t think I’ve seen a worse response, the WiiU is already suffering, the least you can do is give us games until the bitter end. Not impressed with this guy, based on what he’s done so far

Ryan Flaws

“The sega saturn is not our future”… Sorry wrong company… Deja Vu

Jesse Moak

What has he done yet, to be considered a “hero”? Iwata wasn’t perfect, but he was responsible for a lot of Nintendo success, and he actually cared about gamers. DS, Wii, 3DS, all him. Wii U failed, but his legacy remains.

Dwane Turner

Many of the things happening were already in the works when Iwata died. Many peolle at Nintendo said that the idea of the NX is being pushed passionately bc it was Iwata’s final mission.

Josh Warren

New president is killing Nintendo going mobile. Keep making physical games. I like to see and collect what I spend money on. Playing on a flat screen like a cell phone isn’t at all my ideal controller.

WiiUDude

I agree.

Jared Gagne

Most of this but into motion by iwata it’s just that kimishima did not stop the plans. That’s like calling someone a hero for accepting a bunch of money that someone else left for him.

Ernest Rodrigo Jr.

Why does he look like a Japanese California raisin though?

David K

Mr. Tatsumi Kimishima is a JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Recent Changes in Nintendo were well under way when Mr. Iwata pass away. Mr. K is Reaping what Mr. Satoru Iwata had Sown many years prior to his Death. The Company was already Meging under One Building, Pokemon Go and Nintendo going Mobile was the Main Reason why Mr. Iwata Revealed plans for the NX so Early on(4 months. before his Death). Mr. k is lucky to have faced the public at all and haven’t said TWO WORDS of English in front of a Camera yet. THe Only reason he is still President of Nintendo at all is because they are Grooming his Replacement as we speak…

Socar

@David K That doesn’t seem likely as he stated that he is going to stay as a CEO for a longer period of time.

But I do agree, the reason Pokemon Go was so successful was because of Iwata-San’s involvement to it and nothing else.

Those who said him to quit are completely idiotic. If it weren’t for him, Hal and Nintendo would’ve ended long back and not to mention just how he motivated every single one to be their best.

shmuga9

@David K True, except about Kimishima being a joke. Good or bad, we won’t really know until a few years in when his actions come to fruition so we can’t really make any judgements yet. All we have to go on is that he’s a business man, and had a high up position in The Pokemon Company and it’s studios.

shmuga9

When did he say he canned Wii U projects and moved them to NX? And how do you know that was only his decision and not one of Iwata’s plans already? We already got nearly every major 1st party franchise (no we don’t get literally every one each gen).

Sandy Rode

Honestly? I don’t like him. He is not a Gamer, he doesn’t know how it hurts as a Wii U (only) owner for being left alone in the rain just because of Business stuff. I’m not buying the NX at release. Maybe one day, but right now everything just looks like “money is the most important thing” – and I don’t like this direction.

Sandy Rode

Yes, I really miss Iwata.

Andy Cook

If he put out a HD SNES,N64,or GC yes. Don’t fix what was never broke.

FlameDragon_

Oy vey this article is trash. Iwata? Responsible for the highest heights a game company has ever been

maxleresistant

people are starting to give him credit for decisions that have been made before he got the job.
May it be Pokemon Go or the demise of the WiiU, those were decided under Iwata’s Leadership.

A company like is not an easy maneuverable ship. We’ll only see what he’s really capable of in a year.

Iwata’s directions failed, he was too close minded and not reaching out enough to western developpers. The japanese market is failing, the future of gaming is now in the west and in mobile gaming.

Iucidium

This article is disgraceful. NX IS Iwata’s Legacy. Kimishima is just a suit fulfilling Iwata’s final plan.

Iucidium

“The japanese market is failing, the future of gaming is now in the west and in mobile gaming.” If this happens? I’m done. Expect another videogame crash: it’s kinda happening with this year’s AAA sales…

About Us

Who are these Nintendo fanboys?

We specifically called ourselves ‘Nintendo Enthusiast’ for a reason. We believe you can be passionate about a game company while being honest about reality and without being blind to their faults. When you’re excited about a company, it’s hard to remain completely impartial but we try our best. If a game deserves a bad review, we’ll give it a bad review. If we think Nintendo made a bad move, we won’t hesitate to say it. However, we usually do hope Nintendo will succeed alongside the rest of the industry.